What did Gordon Strachan say about Celtic linked Stephen Kingsley?

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Scottish Premiership champions Celtic reportedly want Hull City defender Stephen Kingsley if Kieran Tierney joins Arsenal.

Stephen Kingsley could have big shoes to fill this summer.

Not only is Kieran Tierney by far and away the best in his position north of the border and one of the most exciting young full-backs in European football, he is also a bhoyhood Celtic fanatic who has risen through the ranks at Parkhead.

So replacing Tierney could be an almost impossible job for Kingsley, with the Sun (4 August, page 67) claiming that Celtic will turn to the Hull City defender if their long-serving fans’ favourite leaves for the bright lights of London and Arsenal.

But Gordon Strachan would certainly give a move for the 25-year-old his seal of approval.

It was the former Celtic boss who handed Kingsley his one and only Scotland cap in a 3-0 defeat to France in June 2016 after all.

“I would have no worries at all about playing Stephen. He has a good temperament,” Strachan told the Scottish Sun three years ago.

At the time, Kingsley was the talk of Scotland after an impressive performance in Swansea City’s shock 2-1 at Arsenal, a display which had Thierry Henry raving.

“He has been to the Emirates and played well when Swansea weren’t supposed to get any kind of result at all but beat Arsenal 2-1. I went to Arsenal to watch him that night,” Strachan adds.

“I was so pleased for him as he played from the start and was outstanding. That was Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.

“Thierry Henry gave him the biggest boost when he spoke about him afterwards on TV and said he was one of the best young players he has seen in that position.”

Three years on, Kingsley hasn’t really built on that wonderful night at the home of The Gunners. The Stirling-born defender dropped out of the Premier League in 2017 when he joined Hull City and he’s spent the last two seasons in the second tier instead.

But that potential has always been there, bubbling under the surface. Maybe a move to Celtic is exactly what Kingsley needs as he looks to re-establish himself both at club and international level.